Operation Huntsman

Now that the most persistent rumor in Beijing has become news—Ambassador Jon Huntsman has resigned, amid talk that he is considering a run for the Presidency in 2012—the White House has already made clear that a search is underway for his successor. It’s one of the most difficult and sensitive jobs in global diplomacy, and “there are a lot pretenders to that throne,” as one China hand with close connections to the White House, put it to me today. First, a brief history of the lightning-fast and highly strategic unveiling of Operation Huntsman. Just a few weeks ago, American political editors were still figuring out who Huntsman was, but he—or his admirers—were already laying plans. It started with a coy Newsweek piece planted the possibility that he would try to parlay his experience as the former governor of Utah, with new foreign policy credentials, into a 2012 run. When that was greeted with guffaws by some seasoned political observers, it was time for a ritual laying of hands: John Heilemann silenced the laughing with a piece that pronounced Huntsman “savvy, serious, smart, and sane,” i.e. a potential game-changer for the Republican primary. Obama deftly brushed this all aside during the Hu Jintao visit, with the acid observation that, “I’m sure that him having worked so well with me will be a great asset in a Republican primary.”

Finally, the bar mitzvah: A Chris Cillizza piece in the Washington Post about Huntsman’s emerging team of political backers, and then a long Politico treatment predicting his resignation. If Huntsman had planned to stay on until June or July, as was rumored, all the chatter made that untenable. His resignation was in by day’s end. He leaves China with a positive legacy from a relatively brief and rocky stretch in U.S.-China relations. He was open, frank, fluent, and comfortable needling his hosts. (He would ride his bike to the foreign ministry when he knew he was in for an official dressing down.) He scored well with the press corps—foreign and Chinese—by opening up the embassy to Chinese thinkers and bloggers; last week, the embassy coordinated a video chat between the White House’s Asia boss, Jeff Bader, and Chinese bloggers. Whoever follows will be wise to maintain the open posture. Under the Bush administration, the Beijing embassy was a bunker that allowed few of its experts out of the perimeter to showcase U.S. knowledge or policy. Huntsman corrected that.

In the spirit of the embassy’s open door policy, I hereby put forward a list of suggested candidates for the new ambassador to China.

• Amy Chua (In China, she’s known as an “American Mom.” She’ll whip the Chinese diplomatic corps into shape, or at least she’ll make them weep at the piano.)

• Hosni Mubarak (To facilitate a graceful exit; not an American citizen, but the birthers are distracted.)

• Mike Tyson (He has a tattoo of Mao on his bicep, as any Chinese middle schooler can tell you.)

• Paul Kennedy (Author of “The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers,” not saying which is which.)

• Sarah Palin (Then she can say she sees China from her house.)

• LeBron James (Zhan-mu-si to his Chinese fans. Arguably the most popular American in China.)

• The Situation (China-U.S. relations are full of complex situations.)